Petroglyph

You might need to enlarge this picture to see the petroglyph carved into this rock. It appears to be of a seal (in profile). It was created by the original inhabitants of the region.

There are other carvings (more weathered, harder to see) in the immediate vicinity. Their subject matter was less clear, more up to the imagination.

'Petroglyph' comes from the roots 'petro' (rock) and 'glyph' (writing). The oldest petroglyphs in the world are on the Australian Kimberly Coast. They are 60,000 years old. They are threatened by a proposed gas pipeline facility. The ones at East Sooke are, fortunately, protected.